Futari Ecchi

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Futari Ecchi
ふたりエッチ (Futari Ecchi)
Genre
Manga
Authored by	Katsu Aki
Publisher	Hakusensha
Serialized in	Young Animal
Original run	–
No. of volumes	32
OVA
Directed by
Studio
No. of episodes	4
Released
Runtime

Futari Ecchi (ふたりエッチ Futari Etchi) (German: Manga Love Story), or Step Up Love Story, is a manga series by Katsu Aki (克・亜樹, a pen name).

Futari Ecchi is a story about a newlywed couple in their mid-twenties. Both virgins when married, the story chronicles their sexual explorations. The manga combines both pornographic elements as well as factual and informative elements. The title Futari Ecchi ("two person ecchi") is a play on a slang term for masturbation, hitori ecchi ("single person ecchi"). A four-episode anime OVA series was produced in 2002 and 2003. There is one issue completely set around the sexuality of women called Futari Ecchi for Ladies and an artbook with the title Yura Yura.

Futari Ecchi tells the story of Makoto and Yura Onoda, newlyweds in Tokyo. Many comedic complications get in their way, from nosy relatives to interfering co-workers, but they do love each other very much. So far, there are 32 volumes released. They are released in Young Animal magazine.

[edit] Characters

Makoto Onoda (小野田真 Onoda Makoto) is a 25-year-old junior cosmetics salaryman. He was introduced to Yura through an omiai. He is very critical of his own sexual abilities, but that doesn't hinder him having sexual fantasies with any pretty girl in his vicinity (ultimately, though, he stays faithful to Yura). Nevertheless, after his marriage he attracts the attention of a lot of female admirers.
Yura Onoda (小野田優良 Onoda Yūra) is Makoto's wife. Also twenty-five years old, Makoto is the first man she has ever had sex with. She is loving, but extremely naïve on sexual matters and too shy to try something new by herself. Beautiful and charming, she is also the target of attention by many men (although their behaviour is - compared to the women who adore her husband - rather passive). She also has the knack of befriending those women whom she should consider her rivals for Makoto's affections.
Rika Kawada (河田梨香 Kawada Rika) is Yura's younger sister. Experienced and promiscuous (even to the point where she keeps more than one boyfriend), she constantly teases and goads both Makoto and Yura into improving their "night life." She is actually in love with her '#1 boyfriend', Taku Yamada, but is too proud to admit this too often, even to herself.
Kyoko Omiya (大宮杏子 Ōmiya Kyōko) is Makoto's second cousin and an obstetrician and gynecologist. At the request of Makoto's mother, she moved in next door to the Onodas to encourage them to reproduce. She is thirty years old and still a virgin, a very dominant personality, and worries that she may be "running out of time." When she finally does get hooked up with Koichiro Matsuzaki, her new worry is that she may not be good enough for him.
Akira Onoda (小野田明 Onoda Akira) is Makoto's older brother. He is very nosy, and frequently pesters Makoto about his sex life and fancies himself as Makoto's tutor on the topic of pleasuring the wife. In order to appease his own sex drive, he frequently visits bordellos, a habit which drives his wife Sanae crazy.
Jun Onoda (小野田淳 Onoda Jun) is Makoto's naive younger sister. Initially she has a rather romantic look on a relationship, and her quest for true love lets her drift through a number of affairs before she finally finds happiness with her first boyfriend, Yosuke. Her experiences and introduction into the sexual world are followed throughout the series.
Hideki and Chiharu Kawada: Yura's and Rika's parents. Both are in their late 40's and animal lovers who keep a large number of cats and dogs in their home. While not as active as their children, they still enjoy a fulfilling sexual relationship. Chiharu frequently suffers from lumbago.
Mamoru and Akiko Onoda: Makoto's, Akira's and Yun's parents in their fifties. Mamoru works as a manager, while Akiko is a house-wife. Concerning their family's sex lifes, Akiko proves to be the more liberal (and encouraging) one, while her husband is overly sensitive about this topic, and way too protective of his youngest child, Yun.

Makoto's working-place

Makie Sugiyama, Mai Nagao, and Ikuyo Tonegawa form a singles' trio who are still looking for "Mr. Right". Makie is the most aggressive of the three; always targeting married men - she doesn't want to get "tied down" - she constantly tries to seduce Makoto, with little to no success.
Makoto's Colleagues: rabbit-toothed Okahama and another guy, a duo of two male colleagues who are rarley called by name. While the latter is rather calm, Okahama is an obnoxious sexist who constantly pesters his female colleagues to go to bed with him (of course, this does nothing to indear him to them).
Miyuki Kikuchi (菊池みゆき Kikuchi Miyuki) is a secretary at Makoto's office. She had a long-standing crush on Makoto while he had been working as her home tutor, but never told him (at least not in a way which was easily understandable). She still longs for him in secret, but maintains a rather distant front. In turn, she is the object of affection by her fellow worker Arisa.
Koichiro Matsuzaki: originally appearing as a macho trying to seduce any women he comes across, handsome Matsuzaki found his true match with Makoto's cousin Kyoko. While she rules him in everyday life, he is the more dominant in bed.
Arisa Miya: Arisa, who works as an accountant in Makoto's firm, is a rather fluffy-headed joy de vive persona with a great degree of optimism. She is also a lesbian. Ever since she has heard that her co-worker Miyuki is - seemingly - not interested in men, she incessantly flirts with her, hoping to win her affection. They have become sort-of friends, although Miyuki's repeated rebuffs have done little to dampen Arisa's hopes.

Neighbors

Mika and Takeshi Yabuki: A couple who meet Makoto and Yura while they still lived in their old appartment. Mika has suffered from a sexless year, which caused her emotional frustration and insecureness, thinking that she was no longer attractive to her husband. In fact, Takeshi's refusal came from a medical problem, which was solved after Makoto was able to give a hint. Ever since the Yabukis have restrengthened their relationship, and Maki has even managed to get pregnant. Just before the Onodas move into their new appartment, the Yabukis have moved out to a larger domicile to raise their growing family.

other characters

Taku Yamada: Rika's '#1 boyfriend', who is a rather self-centered sexist. And just like Rika, he is not very concerned about having more than one relationship, although he does react jealously when he finds her involved with other men.

[edit] Style and theme

There are many scenes in the series that look like they are actually happening but are then revealed to be the sexual fantasies of Makoto or another character. This means there are many scenes of Makoto having sex with other characters, while in truth he only has sex with Yura. One of the goals of the series seems to be explaining how to maintain a happy, monogamous relationship.

One of the fetishes explored in the series is cosplay.